


This is the greatest show!

by phoenixmagic1



Category: The Greatest Showman (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Gen, Religious Content
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-27
Updated: 2018-03-06
Packaged: 2019-03-24 15:16:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13813872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phoenixmagic1/pseuds/phoenixmagic1
Summary: This is a modern day telling of a woman named Sarah Beckerman stumbling upon the Barnum circus as she discovers who she is, how unique she is, where she fits in, how she's different and how the circus family help her to accept herself.It takes place in Manhattan, NYC.This is my first TGS story so please be kind!. I apologize about the formatting of the chapter.All errors are mine. This is a WIP story. It is un-beta'd.





	1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing. All song credits go to Justin Paul and Benj Pasek. Owned by 20th Century Fox.

  
The OC is mine, Sarah Beckerman.

  
TGS

  
Chapter 1

  
Sarah Beckerman, a 5’3 petite woman with green eyes and blond/brown hair in her mid-30’s walked down the sidewalk in New York City. It was a cloudy, chilly winter Sunday night around 10:30p.m. as she walked towards her apartment by the ports in Manhattan. She wore a pair of dark blue wash skinny jeans, white socks, underclothing, Adidas neon green and grey tennis shoes, a black belt, an Under Armor workout shirt and a grey zip up hoodie. The woman had the day off and had spent it window shopping, eating lunch, then dinner and relaxing by taking a walk in the nearby park and reading a book she had bought in a bookstore. She walked quickly due to the chilly night air and to get away from the noise of the people and things that had occupied her attention for the better part of the day.

  
As she neared her apartment building, a curious sound caught her attention. It was the sounds of cheering, clapping, animals and singing. It was only two blocks away.

  
_‘Is that a circus tent? Way out here by the docks in Manhattan? When did it get here? Where did it come from? I wonder if I can sneak in.’_ The petite woman thought as she made her way around the back to the unusual sight before her.

  
She slowly lifted the tent flap and made her way in and gasped aloud at what she saw. Trapeze artists twirling through the air, a lion jumping through a flame covered hoop, fire eaters, people dressed in elaborate costumes singing and dancing. These people she noticed didn’t look like everyone else, they looked different, odd in fact. Some people would call them “freaks” but she thought they were amazingly beautiful and strong! As much as she noticed the people, the one person who caught her attention was the ringmaster in his red jacket, black top hat and cane. He was an older looking gentleman, with an easy smile, brown hair, almond shaped eyes that shined when he sang and an infectious, easy going air about him.

  
The song number ended and everyone clapped and cheered, happy with their performance.

  
“Great job everyone! Let’s take a short break and then W.D. and Anne, it’s time for you two to show us your new act!” the ringmaster said as he looked over at the two trapeze artists who had now come down from up high to join their fellow circus family members for a short break.

  
“Sure thing P.T!” Anne replied as she smiled brightly at her brother.

  
‘ _P.T.? As in P.T. Barnum from Barnum and Baily Circus?!Wow! This is so cool! Oh no, they’re all headed this way! I’ve got to hide, but where?’_ Sarah thought in disbelief.

  
Sarah quickly spied an empty hayloft and climbed up it and out of view of the oncoming circus members. Luckily for her, there was more than enough hay to cover herself with as to not bring attention to herself. She took off her hoodie in order to blend in more.

  
She watched from above as the circus members joked around with each other and laughed. Soon the break was over and it was time for the trapeze artists to show off their new trick. Anne and W.D. both got hooked up to their safety harnesses, and off they went! Anne flew through the air doing a quadruple somersault and was caught by W.D. It was a sight to see!

  
Sarah had to resist the urge to shout and clap with enthusiasm! Never had she before seen anything like that! It was so mesmerizing and unique.

  
Not realizing the late hour, Sarah yawned and tried her best to stay awake, but she soon fell asleep atop the hay loft as the rehearsal went on. Sarah was woken up by a beeping of her cell phone. Doing her best to quickly quash the beeping, she failed to notice that the entire place was empty and quiet. As she turned off the beeping, she saw she was alone and it was only then that she noticed how late it was. Her phone read almost 1:00a.m.

  
_‘Oh shoot, how could I have been so stupid to fall asleep! I’ve got to work tomorrow!’_ Sarah thought as she climbed down from the hay loft and rapidly made her way out of the tent and back to her apartment where she ran up the stairs, quickly shed her messy clothes, got into her pajamas, brushed her teeth, washed her face and climbed into bed.

That night she dreamt of flying trapeze artists, the fire eaters and all of the colors, lights and sounds that went along with it.

  
Each night that week Sarah made her way to the tent to watch it in secret, or so she thought. She would leave each night, dizzy with excitement singing to herself the songs she had heard that night.

  
It wasn’t until Saturday night as a big crowd of families and kids was letting out, that she was “caught”. She mentally kicked herself for waiting too long to leave. But there was something about this place, these people, the costumes, the music...everything about it just pulled her in and didn’t let go! It was contagious! It filled her with something she couldn’t quite name, but she knew that it was important.

  
Sarah was watching from her “secret hiding spot”, she’d figured that the hayloft while it covered noise it was too much for her allergies and so she opted for a hiding spot behind a big cart of empty prop supplies. The performers gathered their things, congratulated each other on another great show and made their way out of the tent toward a local bar a few blocks away.

  
Lettie, also known as The Bearded Lady called out to the two men standing and talking in the middle of the ring.

  
“Barnum! Carlyle! We’re headed to the bar! Are you two coming?”

  
Barnum replied, “Not tonight Lettie. I’ve got something to take care of. Another night, I promise! Great show!” The ringmaster replied with gusto.

Phillip Carlyle, Barnum’s apprentice replied “Of course I’ll be there Lettie. Let me finish talking to P.T. Then I’ll see you there. Outstanding job tonight!” he said with a big smile on his face.

  
“Okay Carlyle, but you’re paying!” Lettie replied with a chuckle and a wave as she made her way back to the crowd of her circus family as they headed towards the local bar.

  
The two men spoke for several more moments, with P.T. wishing Phillip a goodnight and the two men went their separate ways. Phillip towards the bar with his circus family and P.T. exited the tent.

  
Luckily for Sarah none of the performers saw her. She let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding and continued to watch the clean-up crew. Even something as mundane as the act of sweeping up and cleaning enthralled the young woman.

  
_‘That was close! Good thing no one saw me!’_ Sarah thought in relief as she started straight ahead with a curious look upon her face.

  
It wasn’t until Sarah felt a tap on her shoulder, turned around, stood up tall and looked up and into the eyes of P.T. Barnum. She knew she was in for it.  
His eyes showed no anger or annoyance, just curiosity and humor.

His voice was rich, and kind as he spoke. P.T. took his top hat off, brushed off the dust, stuck out his hand to shake hers as he spoke.

  
“Hello my dear. My name is P.T. Barnum. I’ve noticed you around here. So has my assistant Phillip Carlyle”

  
Humiliated and her face heated up to a distinct shade of pink, she stuck out her hand and shook his firmly and replied.

  
“He- hello sir. I’m Sarah. It’s nice to meet you. I’m sorry for intruding. So I’ll go now.” The shy woman replied quickly and made a move to leave.  
P/T. Barnum’s voice stopped her.

  
“Stop Sarah. We need to talk. Come with me in the office” The smiling ringmaster said in a commanding, firm yet caring tone.

  
Sarah turned on her heel and walked quickly to catch up with the strides of the gentleman as she replied  
“Yes Sir.” her voice shook with nervousness as she could only hope that whatever lay ahead for her be something good and not bad.

  
‘Dear God, whatever may happen. May You guide me. Amen..’ she thought to herself as she followed the older gentleman to the office.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Sarah and P.T. walked in silence from the tent to a nearby office/apartment building called Barnum Carlyle Inc. P.T. went over to a keypad which was affixed to the glass. He input a number and the door unlocked. P.T. held the door open for her and she smiled at him as he followed her inside. They went up the short six step stairway.

Never before had Sarah seen an office/apartment so wide spread. The first level of the building was the office. Inside held two desks and chairs, a coffee machine and a refrigerator. Atop each desk was a laptop and a printer sat on a nearby table. 

There was a large grey leather couch nearby the two desks and a glass table in front of said couch. In front of the couch and glass table was a TV affixed to a wall. 

Throughout the office the floor was dark hardwood and large windows. The walls were a shade of white, which made Sarah think of creativity, collaboration, and teamwork. Affixed to a wall was a thermostat which read 72° and a security system box which not only armed/disarmed the system but allowed for contact of the authorities for an emergency. 

Sarah saw the stairs leading up to the next level, she turned to P.T. who was looking at her with curiosity. 

“I really like this layout. It’s so bright and cheerful! Would it be possible to see the upstairs please?”

P.T. smiled at her and said “Of course we can.” 

He then led her upstairs and she smiled once again at the apartment layout. Like the office, the floors were hardwood and the walls a shade of white. The kitchen held all of the amenities and a large dark brown wooden island with bar stools served as the kitchen table. On a wall was a thermostat and nearby hung a clock.

Across from the kitchen held a TV/lounge area with a grey colored leather couch with a glass table in front of the couch. There was a large flat screen TV mounted a wall. Said wall separated the TV/lounge area with the kitchen. 

Off of the lounge/TV area were the bedrooms. Each master bedroom one for each man, had dark hardwood floors and pale blue colored walls, a king sized bed, end tables on either side of the bed and a walk in closet. Connected to each bedroom was a large full sized bathroom with a shower, sink, mirror and cabinets for all of their hygiene products. Each bedroom also had a security box. 

A little ways away from the bedrooms, was a smaller guest room with dark hardwood floors and a shade of calming blue on the walls. The bed was queen sized and a bathroom had hardwood floors, a shade of the white on the walls, a sink, mirror and cabinet with various hygiene products. 

“All of this looks amazing P.T.!” Sarah said as she marveled at the layout of the apartment.

“Thank you Sarah. We acquired this building and renovated it several years ago. But enough about me! Would you like a drink? We can sit downstairs and talk.” He said with a comforting smile.

“Yes please a drink would be very nice. Do you have any decaf hot tea by chance?” Sarah asked.

P.T. once again smiled at her and replied “Yes, I think we do have decaf tea.” as he made his way over to the kitchen where he put a kettle of water on the stove to boil. He then got out from the cabinet two coffee cups and four chamomile tea bags, opened and put two bags in each mug. The kettle let out its whistle to indicate that it was ready and the brown haired man poured water in each mug, then placed the still full kettle back on the stove top. 

He then carried both mugs of tea downstairs, to which Sarah followed him downstairs. 

P.T. put the coffee mugs on the glass table, turned to her with a welcoming smile and spoke “Sarah, please make yourself at home here. If you don’t mind, I’m going to go shower and change. I smell like elephants. I’ll be back out in about 10 minutes. You’re more than welcome to watch TV”

“Of course and thank you P.T.” Sarah said with a smile of her own as she sat down on the couch. 

With that P.T. turned and left and went upstairs to shower quickly and change into relaxing attire. Meanwhile, Sarah drank her tea and waited patiently for the ringmaster to return.  
In 10 minutes time, P.T. came down the stairs wearing a pair of white socks, a white t-shirt, and dark blue jeans. His hair was still damp from his shower. He paused and took notice of the young woman, who appeared to be nervous. He took a deep breath and silently prayed to God ‘Dear God, please give me the right words and thank You that You are always with me. Amen.’ He felt His peace, took another deep breath in and let it out slowly as he continued to make his way down the stairs, over to where Sarah sat and took a seat across from her.

P.T. asked as he smiled and took a sip of his still hot tea “Sarah, how’s the tea? Thank you for waiting.”

Sarah smiled back and replied “The tea is very good. Thank you. I must admit I’m a bit nervous about why you want to talk to me.” She said as she took a drink of her tea.

P.T. looked her in the eyes and said “Sarah, there’s no reason to be nervous. I’m not at all upset with you. Curious, but not upset. I just want to get to know you a little bit more.” He explained with a warm and reassuring smile.

‘Why would he show me his office, apartment and offer me a drink if he was upset? Dear God, please give me Your peace and the right words to say Amen.’ Sarah mused as she felt His love and peace and smiled to herself before she replied.

“You’re right P.T. What do you want to know?” she asked

He drank his tea, put it back down and spoke, “Whatever it is that you feel comfortable sharing.” He said with a smile as he leaned forward in his seat to listen to what she had to say.

With a smile of her own, Sarah replied. “I was born in Maryland, lived there all my life with my parents and older brother and older sister. I have a niece and a nephew, my sister’s two kids and an older step niece from my sister’s husband’s first marriage. They’re so much fun and bring lots of laughter to my life. I moved here to Manhattan nine years ago and have worked at a local Café as a server. It’s not the best job but it pays something. I’m still trying with no success to find a job that gives me passion, which motivates me and makes me a better person. Gosh, this sounds like a job interview!” she said with a chuckle. 

P.T. just chuckled, took a sip of his tea and with a smile encouraged her to continue.

She paused to take a breath, and a drink of her tea. After she put down her coffee mug, she continued to speak. 

“There’s…” But before she could continue, a door clicked open and a man walked in, and called out for P.T.

“P.T.? Are you here? Man, it’s cold out there! It’s raining hard too.” the man called out.

“Hey Phillip! I’m in the office with our guest. Come in and meet her.” He replied.

The young man quickly went up the stairs and into the office as he saw P.T. and the woman sitting on the couch. Phillip walked over to the couch and stuck out his hand to Sarah and spoke.

“Hi I’m Phillip. I’m P.T.’s apprentice ringmaster. I’ve seen you around the circus tent every night. There’s something about you that P.T. and I find intriguing” He grinned at her.  
She blushed and said “I’m Sarah, Sarah Beckerman. I was just sitting here telling P.T. a bit about myself.” 

“I would really like to talk with you and know more about you. I’m soaking wet and I need a quick shower and change. Will you still be here in 10 minutes or so?” he asked.

Sarah looked at P.T. as if to silently ask him if she could stay and talk and he nodded at her. With that, Phillip smiled and left. 

While they waited for the young man to return, Sarah and P.T. turned on the TV and watched a comedy show.

Phillip went upstairs, quickly showered and came back down the stairs wearing a pair of white socks, a green t-shirt and pair of dark blue jeans. In his hand he carried a coffee mug of hot tea. He smiled as he sat on the couch near-by P.T. and across from Sarah. With Phillip present, P.T. turned off the TV and the attention was once again on Sarah.  
With an encouraging smile from both men, Sarah spoke. “As I was telling P.T. I grew up in Maryland with my older sister and older brother. I’ve been living in Manhattan for nine years now, working at a Café. But I have yet to find something better, not for lack of trying though. There’s something, though I can’t name it, which drew me to the circus. I don’t know if it was the music, the people, the lights, sounds or something deeper. I’m sure that that sounds cliché but it’s true!” she told the two men in a voice that she hoped didn’t sound too desperate.

“What I want…” Sarah started to say but was interrupted by a big yawn which she covered her mouth.

“My apologies.” she said with a blush in her cheeks.

“Not a problem Sarah. I’m sure it must be getting quite late Sarah. We can continue this tomorrow, no?” Phillip said as he looked over at P.T. who simply nodded his head in agreement.

Phillip turned, looked at the clock, saw the late hour and turned back toward his two companions.

“Sarah since it’s so late, you’re more than welcome to spend the night here. We have a guest room set up. We can continue this conversation tomorrow.” Phillip offered as he looked back at Sarah and noticed then how sleepy the young woman looked. P.T. turned and also looked at how worn-out the young woman appeared. 

Sarah stifled another yawn with her hand and mused ‘It is getting late and I am tired. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea. After all these guys seem like they’re very honest and sincere. They don’t seem like the kind of men to take advantage of a woman in a vulnerable situation.’ 

The quiet young woman smiled tiredly at both men and said “I’ll take you up on that guest bed room please.” 

“Excellent!” said P.T. with a tired smile at Sarah to which Sarah returned.

Phillip smiled at Sarah and spoke “It has been very nice to meet you Sarah. But if you don’t mind, I’ll be heading to bed. Goodnight Sarah. Goodnight P.T.” as the young man stood up, took his coffee mug and made his way up the stairs and to bed.

“Goodnight Phillip” both P.T. and Sarah replied.

“Sarah, I’m so glad that you’ve agreed to stay. I know it’s been a long day. I look forward to continuing our conversation tomorrow.” P.T. said with a drowsy look on his face.

Sarah grabbed her coffee cup and followed P.T. upstairs. They put their empty cups in the sink. 

Sarah turned to P.T. as they stood at the sink and said “P.T. Thank you for tonight, for listening and being respectful to me and for not being upset. Goodnight P.T.” 

P.T. spoke “It has been really nice to get to know you tonight Sarah. Sleep well and goodnight. One more thing, on Sunday’s Phillip, myself go to church. Would you like to go? I noticed that you wore a cross and religion seems very important to you. The service is from 9:30-10:30. But first everyone goes to breakfast at 7:30 at a local diner. The church is nearby. I know that they’d all love to meet you! I have a feeling that you’ll fit right in.” He said.

Sarah replied “Yes P.T. I would like to go. Breakfast and church both sound wonderful! Thank you very much for the offer! Goodnight P.T.” 

P.T. replied “You’re very welcome Sarah and goodnight to you too.”

With those parting words, Sarah and P.T. went to their respective bedrooms for the night and were soon both asleep.


End file.
